The Wizard and the Girl
by Wes Wilson
Summary: The story of a young girl named Julia Alumn. A muggle and an orphan at West Hill orphanage in London. On a particularly nasty day, she's saved from a magical creature by a mysterious man who calls himself the Professor. He proceeds to adopt her and take her on a journey through the magical world, exploring its secrets and the origins of the Professor himself.
1. Chapter 1, Quite A Magical Day

Chapter 1

 _A quite magical day_

It was a dreary October day in London. The rain had poured and poured all over the city, leaving enormous puddles and soaking people. But an especially dark cloud seemed to perpetually loom over 501 Dooring drive. It was here that the West Hill orphanage resided. A tall building, and an old one as well, that always managed to look as depressed as the children living inside of it. The brick exterior of the house had long since been grown over by mold and greenery. The doorway leading inside was a large arch above an ominous set of stairs. Inside, the floorboards squeaked so horribly it was impossible to use bathrooms without waking the entire house. And the whole place smelled of old people, which was odd considering it was a home meant for children. To top it all off, there was a rumor among the children that the house was haunted by the spirit of the old man who built the place many years ago.

This was the home of a girl named Julia Alumn, fifteen years of age and older than most of the other children at West Hill orphanage. On this dreary October day, Julia found herself walking back home from school through the rain. She carried with her a bright red umbrella which matched her raincoat, Julia considered herself quite a fashionable girl and would hate to be seen in anything but her favorite colour. As she walked she grew increasingly annoyed at the mud splatters on her coat, which she had worked very hard to keep clean despite the onslaught of rain. As she stooped down to try and scrub off some of the grime, she was splashed head to toe in mud by a bus driving by. She let out a large "Humph!" In frustration and gave up trying to tidy herself. The rain began to intensify more and more, Julia tried walking even faster in a desperate attempt to get home before she became utterly drenched. She suddenly stopped as she noticed to her left an arched alleyway.

"Finally I can get out of this rain for a moment!" She thought to herself.

She hurriedly dashed inside the alley and out of the rain. Once inside she closed her umbrella for a moment and checked to see how filthy she'd gotten, she was horrified to find her normally sandy blonde hair had been caked in mud.

"That's just great." She mumbled to herself, trying to clean herself up, to no avail.

"Well, I can't stay here forever. I need to get home before I catch a cold, it's so bloody cold today."

With that she noticed it had gotten increasingly cold ever since she stepped out of the rain, and the feeling had only been getting stronger. With a shiver, she strode on through the darkness to the other end of the alley. The more she walked the colder she felt, as if the darkness was bathing her in its icy gloom. She felt a chill run down her spine and quickened her pace, it seemed as if the dark corridor was growing longer and longer, the light at the end becoming smaller and fading.

"No, that's not right."

The light _was_ fading, growing dimmer as the darkness swallowed it up and her along with it. Her heart beat faster as she became aware of a presence behind her. She tried to run but the strength was leaving her, being consumed by the endless cold darkness. Julia stumbled and fell, her umbrella clattering on the ground beside her as the presence made its way to her. She tried to get up and crawl but felt paralyzed, the hope was quickly draining out of her. She turned around to try and face what was chasing her. What she saw made her want to scream, but no sound would come out. There was a man, or what looked like a man, covered in rags and descending upon her. All she could do was quake in fear as it laid its cold hands on her and brought its face to her own. She was overcome by the smell of its foul breath, the scent of death and rot. With a ghastly moan it reached a skeletal hand to its face and removed the rags, revealing a pale shrunken face with a gruesome hole of a mouth. Julia could feel it, the sensation of her life being drained out of her. She couldn't explain it, nor comprehend what was even happening to her as the creature seemingly breathed in her life.

She had always heard that when someone dies, their life flashes before their eyes. She didn't believe it until now. Memory after memory flashed through her mind as the creature drained the life from her. Memories of her parents flashed by, memories of her life before the orphanage. She saw herself, on her father's shoulders watching a parade go by, then the vision faded to darkness. Next she saw her and her mother visiting her uncle, and laughing, that too was swept away. Memory after memory went through her mind as time seemed to slow, as if the creature was savoring every moment. Finally all had been exhausted except one, her most cherished, the last night she ever spent with her parents.

"Now Julia, remember to clean yourself up! We have guests coming over tonight!"

Julia snapped to attention at the sound of her mother's voice, momentarily forgetting it was only a dream.

"Alright mum!" She replied.

She couldn't have been older than three, the details were fuzzy in her memory. But then again, everything about that night had always been a fog in her mind. But here she was, reliving it as if it had happened yesterday. She wanted to warn them, to scream, but she was helpless to do anything but relive the memory. The same memory that had plagued her nightmares for years. She watched as her father decorated the table, and her mother furiously cleaned the house for guests that would never arrive. She was only a child, too helpless to stop it. Too helpless to warn her mother as the doorbell rang.

"Oh, that must be them. They're early!"

Julia watched through terrified eyes as her mother opened the door.

"Oh my, we weren't expecting _you!_ Please come in!"

Through the door came a man, tall and slender, dressed in black.

"Why thank you Abigail, it's a pleasure."

She could tell there was something different in her mother's eyes, a quiet fear as the man calmly sat at their kitchen table.

"Do you know why I'm here, Abigail?"

Julia stared at the man, she could feel something was very wrong. The air around him seemed cold, lifeless almost. As if he had brought with him something evil into the house. And there was something else odd about him, something about his face. She couldn't quite place it, something seemed wrong about it. Her memory of him was fuzzy, as was the rest of that night in her mind. She heard a sound, a door opening. Her father walked into the room, startled to see their new guest.

"Ah good, Charles. I'm glad you're here too. I'm sure you know why I've come, don't you?"

Her father straightened and a look overcame his face that Julia had never seen before, a look of fear. This is where the memory always grew hazy for Julia, everything after that was a blur. She remembered her parents talking to the man, then an argument. Then all she could hear were her mother's screams, and a blinding light that seemed to burn its way through her very eyes. A blinding piercing light that she'd never seen before. She had to close her eyes, it hurt to look at. All she could do was listen to her mother's shrieks as the light overcame everything around her. The screams sounded different this time, inhuman. She tried to open her eyes but couldn't, until she felt the icy grip of the creature suddenly let go. She opened her eyes to see the entire alley bathed in light, and the creature shrieking and hovering above her.

"The light..." she murmured, the light was driving the creature away. It began to flee down the alley as the brilliant blue light chased it. She could see it, it looked different, like it had some kind of form. She strained her eyes to try and see it. Yes, no, that couldn't be right, it was an animal. A fox. A beautiful blue fox shimmering in the light, its glow illuminating the passageway as it drove the monster off. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the ground, if she didn't think she was still dreaming, she could have sworn she had even heard it barking. She opened her eyes with a start as she felt something warm and wet touching her face. It was the fox, it was licking her.

"Now now, cut that out."

Footsteps, the voice of a man approaching her, a kind voice. The fox stopped and backed away as if scolded by its owner. The man approached and knelt beside her.

"Oh dear, it almost got you good. Come on now, let's get you fixed up."

She tried to reply but was too weak, all she could muster was a faint "Thank you." For a moment she could see his face, a gentle face that seemed almost familiar. But it faded as the fox faded away and so did its light, and with its light gone her vision faded to black.

* * *

Julia awoke with a start, and sat upright. She was laying in bed, not her own though. She looked around the room she was in, it was a small room, with a table and some chairs in one corner and a desk in the other. Every surface seemed to be covered in junk, old books, and various other odds and ends. She glanced out the window and saw it was daytime, early morning by the look of it. She got out of the bed and immediately found that she was completely clean, and wearing a fresh change of clothes, a polka dotted pair of pajamas, to be exact.

Julia walked over to the desk and picked up a book from it to examine, it was old and falling apart. She opened it and flipped through some of the pages to find a bunch of nonsense about mythical creatures. There were drawings and descriptions for all of them, along with information about their habits and where to find them. It appeared to contain everything from Acromantulas (whatever those were) to Yetis. She closed it and took a look at the cover,

"Scamander..." She said to herself, "What an odd name. All the books in this room are a bunch of rubbish."

She tossed the book down and went to take a look at the rest of the items when she heard a sound coming from the other room.

"Is that someone... singing?"

Julia walked through the door and peered around the corner, this room was larger and appeared to be somewhat of a living room. On the other side of it was an archway leading to a kitchen. She saw standing at the stovetop was a man in an apron, cooking. The smell of sizzling bacon wafted over towards her and made her stomach produce a loud growling sound, but this could hardly be heard over the attrocious sound of the man's singing. Julia crept through the living room towards the kitchen, once she got closer she took a good look at the man. The man was dressed casually and wore an apron. He was tall, had short brown hair, and was clean shaven. He looked to be between 30 and 40 years old. His features were well defined but there was a certain softness to them. Julia realized she recognized him, he was the one who'd saved her from that _thing._

Suddenly the memories of the other day resurged into Julia's mind. She remembered it all, the creature, the glowing light, and that man.

"Oh no," She thought, "How long have I been here?"

She decided to walk closer and get the man's attention. She was standing a few feet behind him now, resting her hand on the archway and leaning slightly.

"Um, excuse me." She said softly.

The man didn't notice, and continue on.

"I said excuse me." She said, a bit louder this time.

The man still didn't hear her, not over the sound of the cooking and his own awful singing, " _Mamaaa, life had juuust beguuun!_ "

"I said EXCUSE ME." She shouted before quickly putting her hand to her mouth. The man stopped and turned around, with a wide smile on his face.

"Oh look who's awake! Sleeping beauty!"

Julia stammered, "Um, if you could please-"

"Look over here I've made a nice breakfast for you! We've got bacon and eggs and even toast!" The man said proudly, "Although I may have burnt your piece a bit."

Julia was getting frustrated, "Look, if you could please tell me where I-"

The man removed his apron, grabbed his food, and took a seat at the table. Before Julia could even say anything else he was already digging into his food and talking with his mouth full.

"Well come on now, eat before it gets cold!"

Julia gave up, and took a seat at the table. She looked over at the man, who was busy shoving his mouth full of eggs. She thought to herself that wherever this man came from, he obviously had no table manners. She took a look down at her food; three strips of bacon, a slice of toast, and an egg. With reluctance she picked up some eggs with her fork and tasted them.

"This is delicious!" She wanted to shout, and quickly got to work clearing her plate, almost forgetting her own manners in the process. Within a few minutes, she'd completely finished all her food and was almost in the mood for a second course. She looked up from her plate and saw the stranger staring at her, she suddenly felt embarassed at how ravenously she'd eaten her food. The man spoke up,

"There, now that you've had your breakfast, we can talk."

Julia impatiently asked him, "Where am I?"

"Ah ah ah, first things first. What is your name?"

"I thought I was the one asking questions here!" Julia said, astonished.

"Well yes my dear, but how can you expect me to keep a guest in my house if I don't even know their name?"  
Julia shrank in her seat, she supposed he was right.

"My name is Julia, Julia Alumn."

"And I am a professor." The man said, still stone faced.

"Professor _what?_ " Julia asked.

"Just professor, thank you. And to answer your earlier question, you are at my home, that much should be obvious."

"Why didn't you take me to the hospital? If I was unconscious surely a professor like you could see I was in need of medical attention!"

The Professor broke eye contact and looked down.

"Because normal doctors can't treat what that thing almost did to you."

Julia was confused, "What do you mean? What was that thing?"

"It's called a _dementor_. They feed on people's happiness. Once one grabs ahold of you, it will drain all the happiness and life from you until you _wish_ you could die."

Julia sat contemplating what he was telling her. Then she remembered, she'd heard that word before. In that crazy book of creatures she'd found on his desk, scrawled in one of the margins.

"You see Julia, I'm not an ordinary professor. I'm a professor of magic. Particularly the kind of magic used in warding off dark creatures like the one that attacked you."

Julia eyed him suspiciously,

"So you're saying you're some kind of..."

"Wizard."

Julia stood up from the table and pushed her chair in.

"That settles it then. You are completely insane."

The Professor stood up as well.

"Now wait just a moment young lady you haven't even-"

Julia turned around and walked off, trying to find the front door.

"I'm not going to listen to you anymore, I'm going to go home and forget this ever happened."

The Professor scrambled to try and follow her.

"But you saw it! You saw the dementor! You saw my magic!"

Julia turned around and crossed her arms.

"I don't know _what_ I saw. As far as I'm concerned that was all a dream, and you've kidnapped me!"

The Professor was shocked.

"How dare you suggest I would kidnap a young girl and hold her against her will! If you want to leave, so be it, the door is over there!"

Julia turned to leave but the Professor spoke again.

"However, if I can prove to you that magic is real, and this isn't some sort of elaborate lie... will you stay?"

Julia stopped, staring at her feet.

"You've stopped. That means somewhere deep inside you is the little girl who once believed that magic is real. The little girl who dreamed of dancing with faeries, and riding on flying horses. It's still there, deep down, you know it is. You just have to find it."

Julia looked up at him.

"Why? Why do you want me to stay?"

The Professor's face grew solemn as he stared off into space.

"I'm lonely. I have no children, no family. Just me. But then, one day, I find you. As if the world saw my plea, you arrived, here, in my care." He looked back to meet her gaze. "I can show you the world you've always dreamt of. A world of magic. But only if you stay, I won't force you. The decision is yours."

Julia let her arms fall to her sides, the look of anger fading from her face.

"If what you said is true, and you can prove to me that magic is real... then I'll stay."

The Professor clapped his hands together and smiled wide.

"Do you really mean it?"

"Yes, but _only_ if you can show me real magic."

The Professor jumped with glee,

"Splendid! Splendid! Oh that won't be hard, I'll show you the Room! It's the most magical thing you'll ever see!" And with that, the Professor sprinted down the hallway.

Julia, surprised, ran to follow him.

"Wait! What room!?" She yelled as she chased after him down the winding corridors of his house. After taking two lefts and right, she arrived at the end of a long hallway with the Professor standing next to a door. It was a fairly nice looking door, with 4 panels, an elegent trim, and a shiny brass knob. Although it didn't quite match the other doors in the Professor's home. The Professor simply stood beside it, a giddy grin on his face.

"Oh my, I'm quite excited. You see I don't get visitors very often, and I've never gotten to show anyone the Room before! Look here, this is a special door," He said, gesturing to it, "And it leads to a very special room. Nobody can go in it except for me, and anyone I bring with me. No one else could get in if they tried! The Room won't let them! See, try for yourself."

Julia slowly reached down and tried the doorknob, it wouldn't turn.

"Oh come on now, you've just locked it!"

The Professor chuckled, "Have I?" And then reached down and turned the knob, opening the door. It swung inwards, revealing inside a large circular room with a wooden floor. In the center was a large round table with several chairs sitting on a colourful rug, in several other places were desks piled high with more books and notes. Some desks were topped with beakers both large and small, and one even had a bubbling cauldron sitting atop it. The walls were adorned with colourful tapestries that looked old and as if they'd come from all over the world. Where there weren't tapestries, there were bookcases filled to the brim that stretched up to a tall domed ceiling at least 30 feet high. The one thing she noticed the room was missing were windows, and instead the room was lit by a large ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

The Professor stepped inside and beckoned her in with him, Julia entered and looked around more.

"Well? What do you think?" The Professor said expectantly.

"Well," Julia said, "It is a very nice room."

The Professor shook his head, "No no no you're not saying it right."

"Saying what right?" Something about the room?"

"It's the Room, not the room. You have to say it with authority! It's not just any old room! Just like I'm not any old professor!"

Julia chuckled, "Well, the Room is quite nice but I don't see anything particularly magical about it."

The Professor walked back over to the door and shut it, "We'll see about that."

Julia turned back around to face him, "What do you mean?"

The Professor grinned, "Just watch."

With that, he reopened the door. In place of, the boring walls of his home, light shone in through the doorway and spilled onto Julia, who had to squint her eyes. She stepped closer to get a better look, but stopped dead in her tracks. The door lead outside, to rolling green hills and sunshine. She could even see a flock of birds flying in the distance, she couldn't believe it.

The Professor gave her a knowing smile, "Now do you believe me?"

Julia stood, staring. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, but she knew this time it wasn't a dream. For the first time since she was a little girl, she felt a murmur inside of her, something she'd hidden that was now rising up again. Something magical.

"Yes," She said softly, "I do."


	2. Chapter 2, A Chance Meeting

Chapter 2

 _A Chance Meeting_

Julia and the Professor stepped outside through the doorway, and into the sunshine. She looked around at the surrounding landscape, they were standing in the middle of a meadow surrounded by flowing green hills as far as the eye could see. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun radiated brilliantly down onto the field, flocks of birds flew lazily across the sky and over the horizon. In the distance Julia could just make out a small village.

"Where are we, Professor?" She asked turning to him.

"Well," He said, "I don't rightly know."

Julia scoffed, "Oh come on now Professor, you really have no idea?"

The Professor shrugged, "That's the thing about my Room, it can take you anywhere and everywhere, but you can't tell it _where_."

Julia crossed her arms, "Well what good is a magic room that leads to other places, if you can't really use it?"

The Professor pointed a finger at her, "Now just you listen. In all the years this room has been in my possession, it has not failed me once! It always takes you precisely where you need to go, even if you don't know it yourself. Which means we should probably head over to check out that village over there, come on now!"

With that, the Professor began strolling through the flowers into the distance.

"Professor! Wait!" Shouted Julia.

"Oh what is it now?" The Professor turned around, looking irritated.

"We need a change of clothes! I'm not going to be seen in that village in these pajamas!" She stammered.

The Professor looked down at himself, realizing he wasn't dressed for the occasion either. "Well, I suppose you have a point. Come on now, there should be clothes back in the Room."

Julia turned around to go back into the room, and for the first time took a look at the door they'd just come out of. That was it, just a door. Standing upright in the middle of a field, being held up by what she assumed was some kind of magic. She took a step around to the other side, there was nothing there, just solid wood.

"Amazing..." She said to herself, then heard a clicking sound. It was the Professor, opening the door from the other side. She looked back around and saw through the open doorway was the Room. An enormous room where her brain insisted an empty field should be. She still struggled to comprehend it as she followed the Professor inside and shut the door behind her. The Professor was busy digging inside of a trunk he'd pulled out from somewhere, and throwing pieces of clothing to and fro out from it.

"No... no no no! This will not do!" The Professor shouted slamming the trunk.

"What won't do?" Julia said as she approached him.

"Well," Said the Professor "You see, I don't have any clothes for girls. Especially not a young one such as yourself. But have no fear, I know just where to find some!"

The Professor strolled on over to the door and opened it. Where just moments ago it led to a grassy field, it now opened into another enormous room. Inside were enormous piles of junk and various items of all sorts, piled high to the ceiling.

"This is the junk room, as I call it. You can find almost anything in here! I'm sure somewhere in there are some clothes for you!"

Julia nervously stepped through the door again, entering the junk room. As far as she could see were mountains of forgotten and disused items. Everything from old cabinets, to books, to a even an enormous piano. All stacked haphazardly in enormous piles. There was a small walkway of sorts, but it was a walkway in the loose sense that there was less junk scattered on the floor. Julia almost shrieked as she knocked over a bottle sitting on a desk, shattering it on the floor and spilling brown liquid that made the air around it smell of wet dog. Creeping slower now, Julia made her way through the room until she finally found something that looked promising. A large armoire placed precariously on top of a pile of books. She climbed up and fiddled with the latch until she got it open. Inside she was pleased to find what looked like a girl's school uniform and a few other mismatched garments. After some mixing and matching she had proudly constructed an outfit she found suitable, consisting of a button up shirt, sweater vest, skirt, stockings, and a nice lacy pair of shoes. She looked around to reassure herself nobody else was there, quickly got changed, and strolled backed to the Room.

When she returned she found the Professor had also changed. He was now wearing a warm brown suit that had been patched in several places, a red necktie, and black dress shoes.

"My my Professor, you clean up quite nicely!"

The Professor shrugged, "Oh, why thank you, I try."

The Professor continued to place clothes back in the trunk, and Julia approached him.

"Professor, I have a question. Earlier you said in all the years you've had this room it's never failed you. Well that means you didn't always have it. How did you get it?"

The Professor stopped what he was doing and laughed nervously, "Well you see... I found it."

"Found it where?"

"I used to work at a place where there was a bunch of, well, weird stuff. And among all those things was a door. A lonely old door just sitting there gathering dust. Everyone had tried and tried to get it open, but the bloody thing wouldn't budge. Eventually they all just gave up. One day I came along and saw it sitting there looking sad, I simply walked up to it and asked it nicely to open, and it did."

Julia scoffed, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

The Professor scoffed back, "What do you mean that's stupid? Everyone was so preoccupied with getting the thing open, no one ever thought to just ask it to! Does anyone ever think about how that makes the door feel? For once it was happy to have some pleasant company and let me inside. And there was a tray of tea and biscuits waiting for me in there too!"

"And after that... what? You just took it?"

"Well, yes. I don't consider it stealing, no one was using it. They'd almost forgotten it was even there!"

Julia crossed her arms, "Professor, wait. You said it was a place you _used_ to work at. Did this have anything to do with it?"

The Professor sighed, "Like I said, they'd _almost_ forgotten about it. But apparently not. They were quite upset about the whole thing, you know? But it's very hard to catch a man with a disappearing door!" The Professor laughed to himself at the last part. "I like to think they gave up and aren't mad anymore, but just to be safe I don't go around there anymore."

"Professor!"

"What? Don't look at me like that! The Room is very picky about the people it associates with, if I had never come along it would still be there getting dusty. It's not like anyone there could find a better use for it than I have!"

"And what exactly do you use it for?"

The Professor smiled, "Adventures! Like this one! Just you wait, I'll show you the kind of fun we like to have around here. Oh it's going to be so much better now that you're here, trust me. Come on now, let's go."

The Professor hopped up and went over to the door, opening it back to the same pasture they'd been in just moments before. Julia followed him outside and they began to walk off towards the village. After about 15 minutes of waling Julia began to get irritated again.

"Professor why couldn't the room put us closer to the village? Why do he have to walk so far when we could've just appeared right in it?"

The Professor answered, not breaking stride, "Well that's the thing, the Room isn't incredibly specific. It takes you where you need to be, but sometimes it gets off course by a bit. But it usually gets you close enough!"

Julia grumbled and kept walking. By the time they arrived at the village it was around noon, and her feet were getting sore. They stopped just outside the village and saw a small sign reading _Thornwall._

"Ah Thornwall, that's where we are! I've been here once before! It's a muggle town, but I know a place here that makes the best pretzels even a wizard would die for them."

"Muggle?" Julia piped up.

"Ah yes, there's a lot I haven't taught you yet. A muggle is a word used by wizards to refer to non magic folk such as yourself. While we're here, we'll need to try not talk about magic while in earshot of any other muggles. Come on, let's head down to that pub I was talking about."

The Professor started to walk off, and Julia with him, when she almost tripped. Her shoe had fallen off.

"Professor, my shoe! The clasp on it is broken! I must've snagged it on something when we were walking here."

The Professor bent down to take a look at it, "No worries, I can fix it right up."

He looked to make sure no muggles were nearby, and took from his coat a long black stick.

"What's that?" Julia asked.

"A wand," He said, gesturing to it, "It's something all wizards have, it lets us do magic. Here, watch."

He pointed the wand down at the broken shoe and uttered the words "Vestimenta reparo." There was a flash of light from the end of his wand to the shoe, and when it faded it was perfectly fixed.

"Wow... thank you." Was all she managed to say, the sight of magic was still new and shocking to Julia. The Professor stood back up as Julia put her shoe back on.

"There we go, right as rain! Now let's go, we've dabbled too long and I've gotten hungry."

Julia and the Professor walked down the cobblestone streets of Thornwall towards the pub, passing by various people and shops, all of whom were oblivious to the wizard in their very midst. Eventually they arrived at the _Sleepy Cat Pub_ , a crooked ramshackle old building with a bunch of less than savory looking fellows inside reveling. Julia held onto the Professor's coat as they walked inside, the smell of alcohol and the sound of drunken murmuring was in the air. The Professor was on his way to the bar when he stopped, looking at someone sitting alone in a corner booth.

"Julia," He said, handing her a few pounds, "Be a dear and go to the bar for me, ask if that bloke Charlie still works here and if he does order us both a pretzel. Then wait for me to come back."

Julia stammered, "But Professor-"

"Please Julia just do as you're told. I know why we needed to be here now, I have to see an old friend."

She obliged, and made her way to the counter as the Professor walked off to the booth. She was nervous in here without the Professor by her side. She approached the man at the counter, a large bald headed man with a scar on his face.

"E-excuse me sir." She said meekly.

The man turned to her, "What do ya want lass?

She placed the money on the counter, "Is Charlie here? We'd like two pretzels please."

The man turned around and yelled to the kitchen, "Ay Charlie! We got a girl here wanting some of your pretzels!"

A voice from the kitchen chimed back, "Comin' right up Phil!"

Julia took a seat at the bar, waiting for the food to arrive and hoping the Professor got back soon. She looked over at him and the stranger sitting at the table, wondering what they were talking about.

* * *

The Professor approached the table and casually sat down at it, and looked at the young man across from him. He was slim, tall, and looked no older than 18. The young man was almost as surprised to see the Professor as the Professor had been to see him.

"Professor? What on earth are you doing here?"

The Professor relaxed and laid his arms out on the back of the booth behind him, "I should be saying the same to you, James. Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

James leaned forward, "And aren't you supposed to missing?"

The Professor smiled, "Well I suppose we both have our secrets. Just make sure you and your friends aren't getting into trouble. And if you are-"

"Make sure we don't get caught. I remember." He smiled.

"Good, I'm glad at least some of my lessons stuck with you. But that's not why I'm here today."

"Then why are you here? I haven't seen you since the day you left Hogwarts."

The Professor shrugged, "I don't exactly know why I'm here, that's what I've come to find out."

James seemed intrigued, "What do you mean?"

The Professor leaned forward as well, "Tell me, do you come here often? I'm guessing you do, with your friends, since it's a muggle town and less supervised than Hogsmeade. I won't even bother asking how you manage to get here without the headmaster finding out."

James chuckled, "Oh I'm sure he knows, we're just on his good side. You know how Dumbledore is."

"Yes, I do know. Anyway, if you come here often have you heard any strange rumors? Things that seem... strange, for a muggle town."

James thought for a moment, "No, can't think of anything. The only news lately is a couple people happened to have heart attacks and die. I just assumed it was a coincidence they happened around the same time, and didn't think much of it."

The Professor smirked, "I don't believe in coincidences. _That's_ why I'm here."

James shrugged, "Well if you want to go on a goose chase thinking there's something magic going on here, be my guest."

The Professor smiled, "I just hope it is a goose chase."

He got up to leave, but stopped and sat back down, "James, there's one more thing I want to ask about. See that girl over there, the blonde one at the counter."

James looked over and saw Julia eating a pretzel, "What about her?"

"She was attacked, by a dementor. I saved her."

"Well that's good for you Professor, being a hero and saving young girls." James said sarcastically.

The Professor leaned forward even more, getting his face right next to James, "She's a muggle."

A look of surprise came over James, "A muggle? You've brought a muggle with you? What in the devil do you think you're doing?"

The Professor shook his head, "That's just the point James! She _saw_ the dementor! She could see it James. Muggles can't see dementors."

"Then... is she a witch?"

"No, we'd know if she was. Even muggle born witches and wizards are identified by the Ministry. If she was one, someone would have already known."

"Then what does it mean?"

The Professor looked down at his hands, "I don't know. That's why I've taken her with me, there's something odd about her. And I feel responsible for her wellbeing."

James smirked, "Well whatever you do, don't you two go getting into trouble."

The Professor laughed, and got up out of his seat, "That's supposed to be my line, Mister Potter. I'll be seeing you."

James waved goodbye and the Professor walked back over to Julia who'd just finished eating and was having a pleasant chat with Phil about horses. The Professor grabbed his pretzel and walked towards the door, "Come on Julia, we're heading out."

Julia hopped out of her seat and followed him out of the pub, "Where are we going now?" She asked.

The Professor answered between mouthfuls of pretzel, "We are going, my dear, to get some answers."

"Who was that man? What did you talk about?"

"Just a friend, an old student of mine. And we had a very interesting conversation."


	3. Chapter 3, Dark Clouds Over Thornwall

Chapter 3

 _Dark Clouds Over Thornwall_

Ruthbridge Coldshallow was a rotten old man who could only be described as creepy. He was a short, bald headed man, with a hunched back and an enormously large bent nose. Every morning he went into work as the town doctor of Thornwall, and every day he enjoyed doing his job. Oh, he didn't like treating people, oh no he detested that part, but was required to do it for fear of having his medical license revoked. His favorite part of the job was giving people bad news.

"Oh yes, I'm quite afraid your dear grandmother has a bad case of the pox. I do so very hope she gets well soon." He'd say sarcastically, secretly enjoying the misery of others. As a man without joy in his own life, it only felt right to him to inflict sadness on others. With this he felt great pleasure in telling a Mr. Samuel Horton that his dearest daughter had passed away a few nights ago, to a sudden unexplained heart attack. At least, that's what Ruthbridge Coldshallow assumed it was that caused dear Dahlia Horton's untimely demise. In truth, he really did not know, he wasn't the best doctor and certainly didn't bother trying to get any better.

On this bright October day he was busy preparing the girl's body for her funeral later that evening. Oh how he loved funerals, he saw them as happy occassions rather than sad ones. He'd smile at the decease's loved ones tears as he obnoxiously contemplated the futileness of life. It was just another perk of the job for him. But on this particular day he actually did not feel like coming into work, and was very grumpy that he had to. You see, it was the 11th birthday of his cat Sander, and he had been planning a surprise party for the feline. It was to be a great party, his 9 other cats would be in attendance and they'd all be wearing matching party hats. Doctor Coldshallow was so busy daydreaming about what flavour of cake his cats would like, that he almost didn't hear the knock at his door. At first, he elected to ignore it and went back to work, but the knocking continued and grew fiercer. With that the doctor jumped out of his chair and angrily hobbled over to the door, mumbling obscenities at whoever was disturbing him. He opened it with a shout,

"You better 'ave somethin' broken if you're gonna come in here and disturb my work!"

The doctor eyed his new visitors suspiciously. There were two of them, a man and a young girl. They were both dressed all fancy like, as he'd say. Too fancy to be from Thornwall.

"Hello there," The man said, "I am Professor Doe, and this is my assistant Alice." He gestured to the girl, and she gave a meek courtsy, "How do you do?" She said.

The doctor was unimpressed by these new arrivals, "You'll 'ave to come back later, I've got important work to do." With that he went to slam the door in their faces, but was stopped by the Professor jamming his foot into the crack.

"I'm afraid you've misunderstood," The Professor said, "That's why we've come here. We're here to examine a body."

The doctor eyed him through the cracked door, "Is that so? Where'd you say you're from?"

"I'm a professor of medicine at Oxford, I've been sent here to take a look at the deceased."

The doctor narrowed his eyes at the Professor, "Professor Doe? Never heard of you!"

The Professor crossed his arms, "Do you mean to tell me you've never heard of THE Professor Jonathan Doe? I've had papers published all over England! It was ME whose research led to the vaccine for pneumonia just last year! I will not let someone like you question my authority, now open this door and let me in at once!"

The doctor kicked the Professor's foot out of the door and slammed it shut. The doctor hurriedly climbed on a stool and bolted the door shut, he could hear the Professor outside banging on the door as he returned to his work.

"What a load of rubbish that guy is." He thought to himself.

The doctor jumped at the sound of the door slamming open, the Professor calmly walked into the room followed by his assistant.

The doctor was in shock, "But I locked the door! How did you-"

He was cut off by the Professor's shouting, "Doctor I am warning you for the last time, you are interfering in official medical business! If you continue to act as you are I shall have to report you and your license will be revoked! Now are you going to show us the body or not?"

The doctor stammered, "I, uh, yes! Yes sir! Right away sir!"

He leapt from his chair and opened a door leading to the morgue room, "Right this way sir! You'll find everything is right as rain in this clinic sir!"

The Professor briskly walked past him, "I should hope so doctor, we will see."

The doctor led them into morgue, it was a very cold room with a large table in the center. Laying on it, was the body of a girl draped with a cloth. The Professor walked over and removed part of the cloth, showing her pale face.

He glanced over his shoulder at the doctor, "What was her name again?"

"D-Dahlia, sir. Dahlia H-Horton."

"And her cause of death was ruled as a heart attack, is that correct?" The Professor asked, still examining the body.

"Yes sir, she died a couple of days ago. Shame it is, an awful shame. She went on a night time stroll, and then someone heard a horrible scream and found her there, must've been painful for her. I hear heart attacks are like that ya know."

"Yes, quite so..." The Professor leaned down to examine the girl's face.

"If I might be privy to ask sir, what are you looking for?"

The Professor answered, not looking away from his inspections, "Are you aware, doctor, that the police suspect this young girl was murdered?"

The doctor's eyes grew wide, "No sir I hadn't heard anything of the sort."

The Professor continued his work, examining her ears now. "Is it not true that the town of Thornwall has a higher than average rate of heart attacks?"

The doctor thought for a moment, "Well I guess I never thought about it. We do have mostly older folks here sir, there are more prone to that sorta thing."

The Professor stood up and turned back to the doctor, "Except _this_ victim is a 16 year old girl, hardly at risk of a heart attack. Doctor I would like to see your records of all the deaths in Thornwall, as far back as the records go."

The doctor hurried over to a filing cabinet in the corner, "Yes sir, right away sir!" He pulled out a large binder and handed it to the Professor, "Here you are sir!"

The Professor thumbed through it for a moment before tucking it under his arm, "Very good, this will help immensely with our investigation." He looked down at the doctor, "And you, doctor, shall be compensated for your contributions once the case is closed."

The doctor clapped his hands together, "Aye! Thank you sir! Pleasure to help sir!"

The Professor walked out of the morgue and beckoned his assistant to follow.

"This is farewell for now doctor, I bid you adieu." He bowed and the two of them left the clinic, closing the door behind them. The doctor breathed a sigh of relief and sat back at his table, ready to go back to thinking of his dear cats and muttering to himself, "What a bunch of weirdos."

* * *

It had been a few hours now since Julia and the Professor had visited the doctor. The Professor had went to go look through the records at the town hall, and had tasked Julia with waiting outside for him. In the time he'd been gone, she'd been all over town. She'd visited a lovely little candy shop that had the biggest lollipops she'd ever seen, gone by the pub to chat with Phil again about horses, and even found a lovely black stray cat to play with. After a few hours of wandering the town she went back to the hall to check on the Professor, who still had not come out. She sighed and thought back to the conversation she'd had with him after they left the clinic.

"Professor," She'd asked, "Did you need to be so hard on that poor man? You nearly scared him to death!"

The Professor looked down at her, "Julia, my dear, you'll learn that some people simply aren't the sort you can reason with. I could tell that man was rotten just by looking at him, and the only sort of thing that would get him to cooperate was coercion. Sooner or later you'll understand some people only think of themselves, and that man was definitely one of them."

After that Julia had followed along in silence, wondering if the Professor was right.

She sat on a bench and watched as the sun began to set when she heard the doors opening behind her. The Professor hopped down the stairs two at a time and sat himself on the bench beside her.

"This is it Julia! I found it!"

"Found what?"

He grew excited, "Where all this began!"

He had with him a copy of some housing records, and pointed to a name inside of it, "Aaron Finch."

"Who is Aaron Finch?"

The Professor took out the book of all the deaths in the town and opened it as well, flipping through it and pointing to a name.

"Aaron Finch, 35 years old. He died in 1908, 60 years ago. He was the first victim."

Julia stared at the pages, "How do you know?"

"Well I don't know for a fact, but I've got a hunch it's him. The years after his death, the rate of heart attacks in Thornwall begins to climb. As of today it's 20% higher than the national average."

Julia thought, "Hmm, well now that we know the first victim, where do we go from here?"

The Professor pointed again at the housing records, "Look here, Aaron Finch's house was never demolished, it's still standing today! And if you look here at the list of people who've occupied it since his passing..."

"They've all died from heart attacks!" Julia exclaimed.

"Yes! Now you've got it!" The Professor jumped with joy, "That means whatever is causing these deaths is still inside his home! Oh my how exciting!"

"Professor! This is nothing to be excited about, we have to stop it!"

The Professor composed himself, "Yes, yes, quite right. Sorry. I just love a good monster hunt you know, I haven't been on one in ages. The last time I went on one I ended up in a forest full of boggarts with my friend-"

"Professor you're rambling again."

"Oh my, I am aren't I." The Professor closed the book and set it aside. "Well come on now, it's getting dark, we'd better be off." He stood up and began to walk off.

"Professor!"

He turned around back to Julia, "Oh what is it now?"

"Why go there at night? Isn't that a terrible idea?"

A grin grew on the Professor's face and he laughed, "It's more fun that way! Besides, I think I know what this creature might be. They're nocturnal, so if we go during the day it'll be there resting. If we go at night, it may be gone and we'll have a chance to look around a bit and set a trap for it. Now enough questions, let's go!"

Julia sighed and got up to follow the Professor, "Here we go again."

* * *

Julia and the Professor made their way through the dark woods, the only light to guide them was the pale light of the full moon. The Professor led the way as Julia stayed close behind him, not wanting to be more than a few steps away at any time. She felt as if every shadow was a monster, every snap of a twig was something wanting to kill her. Ever since she'd learned about magic, she kept thinking back to that book of creatures and all the horrible monsters within it, afraid one of them may pop out of the darkness at any time and strike at her.

"Professor I don't like this." She said, nervously looking around.

"Oh don't be a baby," The Professor scolded, "You've got a bloody wizard with you, how scared can you be?"

Julia gulped, "But Professor, have you ever encountered one of these... _things_ before?"

The Professor took a moment to respond, "No. No I have not."

Julia did not feel any better, and her fear had grown even worse.

"Ah, here we are."

The Professor stopped, and so did Julia. She couldn't see anything at first, her eyes had still not yet adjusted to the darkness.

"Where is it Professor?"

He pointed, "Over there."

She focused her eyes harder, and could see a large shape through the trees. It was a house, an old rickety looking wooden house that appeared to have been abandoned for at least a decade. The ceiling had boards missing and the walls were overgrown with vines, half the windows were broken and the front porch had gaping holes in it.

"We're going _there?_ " She whispered to the Professor.

"Yes my dear, we are."

The Professor continued on to the house and Julia hugged right behind him. The closer they got the more uneasy they both felt, although the Professor wouldn't admit it himself, it wasn't in the nature of a man like himself to admit fear. The two of them approached the house, they were only a few feet away from the porch now. The Professor took out his wand and had it at the ready as he made his way to the front door. He reached down and jiggled the handle, "It's unlocked." He whispered. He opened the door and they crept inside. The floorboards beneath them squeaked with every step they took, startling Julia. The Professor lifted his wand and whispered the word "Lumos." A small light appeared at the tip of his wand illuminating the room. Julia looked around and saw it was in a serious state of disrepair. Old broken furniture was scattered about, picture frames were all broken, the floorboards had been eaten away at by termites, and she could see faint signs of mouse droppings on the floor.

"Well we can be sure of one thing," The Professor said, "There's no humans living here now, at least."

The last part worried Julia, how he emphasized the word _humans._ The Professor walked over to a staircase in the corner, leading to the attic, he beckoned her to follow. Up the stairs they went, the house groaning with every step they took. Finally, they reached a door to the attic, and old weary dusty door. The Professor said a word and the light from his wand faded, he held it in front of him cautiously as he opened the door. What Julia saw inside shocked her, it was a nest. In the center of the attic, old blankets and cloths had been strewn around to form a circular bed of sorts, the floor was littered about with bones of small animals and blood stains. The Professor, seeing the attic was empty at the moment, walked inside. Julia tried to follow but her legs wouldn't move, fear had paralyzed her. It took every ounce of her strength to finally put one foot forward and force herself back to the Professor's side. She stood nervously looking about as the Professor bent down to examine the nest. He was busy examining teeth marks on one of the bones when Julia piped up,

"Professor, what kind of thing did this?"

The Professor had pulled out a magnifying glass to examine the bones further, "Well, it's a terrible creature. Definitely not the kind you'd want to run into alone. And all this evidence here is confirming my suspicions."

"But Professor, I meant what is it called?"

The Professor looked up to answer her but froze, looking past her. Standing in the doorway was something watching them, something with pale eyes that saw right through him.

"A banshee."

The figure stepped through the doorway, and into the moonlight shining through the broken ceiling. It was a woman, barefoot and dressed in rags, with long black hair stretching down to the floor. Her face was pale like a corpse and her white eyes shone in the moonlight. With one slow step after another it shambled towards them.

"Julia," The Professor said, "When I say run, run."

The hairs on the back on Julia's neck stood up, she couldn't see what was behind her right now but she could feel its foul presence. She didn't know if it was deliberate or if she acted on instinct, but she slowly took a step towards the Professor and got behind him, only then turning around to see what it was that had entered the room. What she saw made her want to scream yet nothing would come out, she grabbed the Professor's arm and dug her fingers into it. The banshee took one step after another, getting closer until it was only feet away from them. Julia looked over at the Professor, he tried to remain resolute but she could see fear in his eyes. The banshee stopped, almost on top of them now. It opened its mouth wide, showing its rotten teeth, the smell of its breath made Julia gag. And then, the banshee began to scream. A horrible horrible scream that made Julia cover her ears in pain and fall to the floor crying. The Professor winced and raised his wand at the banshee, shouting over its screams,

"Silencio!"

A brilliant flash emanated from his wand to the banshee's mouth, and just like that the screaming stopped. The banshee stood there, confused as the Professor looked over at Julia.

"You see Julia, banshees scream, and their sound is fatal. When I checked the girl from earlier, I noticed her eardrums had been ruptured. That's how I knew it had been a banshee. It was quite simple really, all I did was use a silencing-"

"P-Professor," Julia groaned trying to sit up, "This isn't the time for a lesson, the banshee..."

The banshee lunged at the Professor and wrapped its hands tightly around his throat. The Professor stumbled back, dropping his wand and falling onto the floor. He kicked and struggled against it but the banshee held his throat in a tight grip, squeezing the life from him.

"Julia, run!" The Professor barely managed to choke out.

Julia got up to run out the door, but stopped, she couldn't just leave the Professor here. She saw him struggling against the creature but it was no use, soon he'd be dead and it would come for her next. She was frozen again, she couldn't move. Then a voice came inside her head, it was her own,

"What would the Professor do?"

Julia snapped back to reality and looked around the room for something to hit the banshee with. There were some broken boards lying about, an empty vase, a hammer, and, "His wand." Julia said to herself.

Julia reached down and snatched up the Professor's wand. From the moment she touched it, she felt something electric run through her, something unseen. As if the wand was speaking to her, she knew what to do. She lifted it up and pointed it at the banshee. A flash, a jet of fire propelled itself out from the wand and onto the creature, its tattered robes and hair bursting into flame. With a shriek it let go of the Professor, Julia realized the silencing spell must've worn off. The banshee thrashed about screaming and wailing, trying to put itself out. The Professor gasped for air and stood back up, rushing to Julia's side. The banshee was now writhing and setting the rest of the room aflame, the doorway to the stairwell had already been completely consumed. The Professor looked around trying to get his bearings, and saw only on other way out.

"Hold onto me!" He shouted and lifted Julia up into his arms. She did hold onto him, tighter than she'd ever held onto anything before. The Professor took a running start and leaped clean through the wall, the rotting boards gave way and fell as debris around them outside of the house. They both landed in some bushes ten feet below, disoriented and covered in scrapes and bruises. They could still hear the cries of the banshee as more and more of the house fed into the fire. They got up and walked a comfortable distance away and watched as the whole house was slowly consumed, and eventually the screams of the dreaded banshee faded into the roaring of the fire. The Professor turned to Julia but staggered as she embraced him in a tight hug. He smiled and patted her on the back,

"We're safe now."

She lifted her head up to see him, "Please Professor, let's not do that again."

He smiled and hugged her back, "We won't dear."

The Professor gave her a shove off him and dusted himself off, "Well not anytime soon at least! You've got to admit it was fun!"

Julia stomped, "Professor!"

"What? I was joking!" The Professor said sarcastically and shrugged.

Julia gave him a playful punch on the shoulder and the two of them began walking back to town.

"Well this is going to be awful hard to explain." Julia said coyly.

"Let's just head back to the Room and head off, I find it's easier to not have to come up with an explanation for the muggles, they'll just assume it was some hobo who lit the house on fire or something. Either way, it's best not to get involved."

"Alright then, back to the Room it is."

Julia skipped along ahead of the Professor, her fear of the darkness had been conquered and she felt liberated by the newfound beauty the forest had to her. The Professor looked from Julia down to the wand in his hands.

"Curious. Very curious indeed." He put his wand back into his coat pocket, and ran ahead to catch up to her. Then the two of them strolled onwards through the moonlight back to the Room, waiting to see what fate had in store for them next.


	4. Chapter 4, Diagon Alley

Chapter 4

 _Diagon Alley_

It was a bright and sunny morning in London, the birds were chirping, the sky was clear, and people filled the streets. It would have been a perfect day to go outside, but on this day Julia Alumn found herself stuck inside the Professor's home doing chores. It had been a week since their excursion to Thornwall, in that time the Professor had kept true to his word and the two of them were enjoying a much needed period of relaxation. She was adjusting well to her time with the Professor, she'd take a life of magic and adventure over her dreary life at the orphanage any day. In the time she'd been with him both of their lives had improved much for the better. In just the past week he'd already given her several lessons over the numerous forms of magic, and magical creatures. Of all the creatures he'd shown her, the one she found herself most interested in was the unicorn. Julia had a love of equine creatures, and the beauty and legend surrounding the unicorn had captivated her interest. The Professor happily indulged her curiosity, telling her everything he knew about them. He showed her drawings, taught her about their habits, and even informed her of where they could be found. But above all those other lessons about them, the Professor stressed one above all else.

"It is believed," He told her, "That if one drinks the blood of a unicorn it will grant them eternal youth. But at a horrible price."

"What is the price?" Julia had asked. The thought of someone harming such a beautiful creature hurt her just imagining it.

"Your humanity. Anyone who drinks unicorn blood gains eternal youth, yes, but it is not the kind of life anyone would want to live."

Julia had pondered that lesson for several days now, worrying herself and thinking about what sort of person could do such a terrible thing.

At the moment she was trying to clear her head of all those grisly thoughts by doing what she'd been doing for the past week, cleaning. She'd dusted every surface the house had to offer, tidied up the clutter, and even cleaned the floors. All in all she was quite pleased with herself. The Professor kept his home in a perpetual state of disarray, and Julia simply could not stand it. She'd taken it upon herself to bring order to the chaos he lived in. Finally, there was only one place in the house left to clean, the Room. She'd made good progress on it in the past few hours. She'd swept, beaten the dust from the tapestries, and even filed away all the Professor's notes. In the course of cleaning she'd almost knocked over the large bubbling cauldron sitting atop the table in the center, a tiny bit of its contents had splashed out and made a large splatter over the floor which she promptly had to clean up. With everything else done, she had one last part of the Room to fix, the Professor's books. The hundreds of books lying scattered about had nearly driven her mad, and after much effort she had most of them returned to their rightful place on the bookshelves. She was just in the process of alphabetizing them, when she heard the Professor walk through the door.

"Wow! Would you look at this place!" He said, hanging his coat up on the wall, "It hasn't looked this good since, well, ever. Nicely done!"

Julia slid down the ladder she'd been standing on to speak to him.

"Professor. Do you know how many books you have in this room?"

"No," He said, "Not really. Who ever bothers to count books?"

Julia crossed her arms, "Two thousand one hundred and fifty two."

The Professor raised an eyebrow, "You counted?"

"Yes. I did! Half of those books were lying all about your house and in the Room. And the ones that _were_ on the shelves weren't organized at all! Professor I don't know how you can live like this!"

The Professor wiggled his nose at her, "Julia dear, do you know just how uptight you are?"

"And do you know how laid back you are? I swear if I'd never come along you'd be living in a rat's nest!"

The Professor strode over to the bookshelves and gave them a long look, "You organized all of these?"

"Yes I did. It's taken me three days! You'll find that everything is in order, they're even sorted alphabetically by author." She said smugly.

He put a finger to his chin, "No... no this simply won't do."

Julia was flabbergasted, "What do you mean it won't do?"

He turned around and pointed at the bookshelf, "I had my books where they were for a reason. It may have looked disorganized to _you,_ but I knew exactly where every book was! They were all exactly where I'd left them!"

"But Professor they're in order now, if you need a book you can find it easily!"

"Julia do you think I bother to learn the names of half these books? Let alone the names of the blokes who wrote them?" He scoffed.

Julia stamped her feet, "Fine then! But if you want to put them _your_ way then you have to do it yourself! I've already exhausted myself trying to help you, and I don't get so much as a thank you!"

The Professor pulled his wand from his pocket, "Very well, I will."

He tapped the wand on the bookshelf, and firmly said the word "Ordo." There was a loud _whoosh_ as hundreds of books escaped the shelves in a flurry of wind and danced around the room, Julia looked up to see them spiraling around the ceiling so quickly she couldn't keep track of them. One by one they orderly filed themselves back onto the bookshelves making an enormous thudding sound and sending clouds of dust across the room.

The Professor tucked his wand back into his coat, and smiled at her, "There we are, much better! I decided to compromise with you, they're ordered by genre this time! At least now I can keep track of them in some way. If you'd told me you were organizing them I could've saved you some time you know.""

Julia stood dumbfounded as the Professor gave her a pat on the head and walked out of the Room. She heard his voice call out from down the hall, "Oh, and thank you for helping!"

* * *

Several hours later, Julia was seated very comfortably in the Room reading a good book, when she heard a shout from down the hall. She looked up from her book and waited a moment, listening intently for another sound. A few seconds later there was a loud crash. She carefully marked her place and set the book down, then got up from her chair. Very slowly she walked to the door, and pressed her ear against it to listen. She heard a bang coming from down the hall, and a voice muttering something. Silently she opened the door, and crept down the hall. She took a peak into each room as she passed by them, all the cleaning she'd just done had been ruined and the contents of every room strewn all about it.

"Professor?" She called down the hallway. The only response was another loud crash. Finally she arrived outside his bedroom, the door was opened just a crack and she heard rustling inside. With apprehension she flung open the door right as she heard a voice inside scream.

"WHERE IS IT?"

Inside, the bedroom was utterly trashed and the Professor sat in the middle of a large pile of various bottles and materials and other sorts of rubbish. Julia entered the room, and looked around at the disarray.

"Where is what?"

"Egg shells!" The Professor yelled.

"Egg shells?"

"Yes!" He said, "Occamy egg shells! It's a creature that lays eggs with shells made of silver. I could have sworn I had one laying around and I can't find it!"

"Why do you need a silver egg shell Professor?"

The Professor stood up and straightened his surroundings a little, "I need it for a potion I've been brewing, in that cauldron in the Room. Oh no this will not do!"

The Professor stormed out of the bedroom and down the hall, Julia hurried to keep up with him, "Professor what are you doing now?"

"Well," He said as they walked into the Room and he shut the door behind them, "If I don't have one then I need to buy one, and quickly!"

"So, we're going shopping?"

The Professor nodded, "I guess that is one way to look at it. We're going somewhere you can find anything a wizard could ever need."

"Where is that?"

The Professor opened the door of the room, "Diagon Alley!"

The Professor took Julia by the hand and led her through the door, out they came in a place very different from anything she'd ever seen. They stepped out into a busy street bustling with people of all shapes and sizes. She saw wizards in robes and witches with large pointed hats, old men with long beards and young children running about. Around them were all sorts of storefronts, candy shops, potion stores, pet sellers, and almost anything she could imagine.

"This is Diagon Alley." The Professor said. "It's a special place in London where wizards can go to do all their shopping. Pretty cool isn't it?" He smiled at her.

She was still in awe of the whole place, and looking all around. She glanced back behind them to see the door they'd come out of, it was stuck to a barren brick wall, as if they'd just came out of the building behind them. Unlike all the lavish storefronts and brick archways, the door looked exactly the same as it had before, as if it belonged in someone's home, and looked horribly out of place.

"Professor, what if someone notices that door isn't supposed to be there?"

He looked at the door, "Hmm. I guess you're right." He took out his wand and gave the door a tap, "Chameleus."

Before her eyes the door grew and shifted, its wood changing into brick and its shape transforming into a large arch with a heavy wooden door inside of it. With a swish, a sign appeared on the door handle simply saying "Closed."

"There we are, nobody will give that a second thought now!"

Julia was almost shocked at this, but she was beginning to get accustomed to magic and all the oddities that came with it. She simply sighed and accepted this as normal now. She was eager to explore the market and see what interesting things she could find.

"Professor, can I have some money?"

He clapped his hand to his chest, "Wow! Right to the point then!" He laughed, "Well I guess I can spare something, although I'm not exactly rolling in money myself."

He reached into his pocket and produced 5 gold coins, then handed them to her.

"These are galleons. This much is about, oh say, 25 pounds worth."

Julia took the money and held on tight to it, beaming up at him "Thank you Professor!" She went to dash off, but he yanked her back to him by her sleeve. She was puzzled as he leaned in close to her and whispered,

"I feel like I should remind you this dear. You're a muggle, and muggles aren't supposed to be here. Under no circumstances should you tell anyone, understand?"

"What do I say then?"

"Tell them you're a witch, and you're here getting school supplies. If anyone asks, I'm your father, got it?"

She nodded.

"Good. Now, I'm going to go take care of my errands, we'll meet back here in two hours. Try not to get into any trouble, okay?"

She smiled at him, "I'll do my best." He gave a worried smile back to her, and departed down the street.

* * *

It had been half an hour since The Professor had left Julia to wander her way around Diagon Alley. In that time she'd visited a a lovely little candy shop that had the most interesting jelly beans she'd ever eaten, they seemed to have almost every flavor imaginable. She used some of her money and bought a few boxes, and had been snacking on them as she walked down the street. She was just recovering from a particularly nasty one that tasted like toe jam, when she accidentally walked right into a boy and made him drop all the things he was carrying.

"Oh dear, I'm dreadfully sorry!" She leaned down to help the boy pick up his things.

"Don't worry, it's fine." He said as they both stood up and she got a better look at him. He looked about Julia's age, with curly brown hair and green eyes, he wore a set of long robes and a yellow striped tie. "Thanks for helping me pick up my things." He said as he got everything back in order.

"Don't mention it!" Julia said with a smile, and went on her way.

"Wait!"

She turned back around to see him approaching her.

"I didn't catch your name! I'm Thomas, Thomas Mortum." He said, reaching out his hand.

"Julia Alumn, a pleasure." She shook his hand.

"You're a student, right? You seem around my age but I've never seen you around Hogwarts. What house are you in?"

"House?"

"Yeah, I'm in Hufflepuff, see the yellow colors of my uniform?" He chuckled. "I'm here replacing some school books that got... burned. Let's just say I'm not so good at potions class." Julia laughed.

"So, what house are you in again?"

"Oh," She stammered, "Well you see, I don't go to Hogwarts."

"Really?" He seemed surprised, "What school do you go to? There's not many others around here, and none are nearly as good."

She bit her lip, "I'm... homeschooled. Yes! My father teaches me. I'm actually with him buying supplies right now, he's around here somewhere."

"Ah, right! That explains it. Well I'll let you get back to it then, it was nice meeting you!" He waved as he hurried off, Julia waved back and smiled. She was happy, she felt like she'd meet him again somehow.

* * *

It had been an hour since the Professor left Julia. He'd already gone to several stores in search of what he was looking for, and none of them had the ingredients he needed. Begrudgingly, he now went to the one place he hadn't gone yet. The place he knew would have it, for a price, Nocturne Alley. The shady side of Diagon Alley, where everything was perpetually shrouded in shadow and wizards partook in illicit activities. While at first glance all the stores in the marketplace may have seemed legal, if you knew where to look you could easily find very powerful and forbidden items. In the back rooms of many potion shops you could find any poison you could ever want, or love potions capable of making even the strongest willed person fall helplessly in love. The book stores contained volumes of forbidden dark magic, that they likely sold for a great price.

He knew that if you are to ever go into Nocturne Alley, it was a good idea to keep your wits about yourself. If an unprepared wizard takes a wrong turn, they could easily find themselves at the business end of a mugger's wand. But the Professor was no stranger to danger, and he knew how to defend himself. So he pressed on, going from shop to shop looking for what he needed. Disgruntled that he had yet to find a store selling what he needed, he found himself wrapped up in his thoughts and took a wrong turn down a dark side street not unlike that of which he'd first met Julia in. Thinking back on that day, he was sure the young girl was amazed that someone had stumbled upon her at just the right moment, but it was no accident that he found her that day.

The Professor was snapped from his thoughts as he noticed a man coming down the alley past him, he wore a set of black robes and his face was hidden by a hood. He avoided eye contact and continued past the man, but a few steps later he was stopped by the feeling of the end of a wand being jabbed into his neck.

"Hello there." A deep brooding voice came from behind.

The Professor breathed a long and heavy sigh and remained calm, almost dismissive of the man, "Alright alright, let's make this quick. You want my money don't you?"

"Oh no, not that Professor."

His blood ran cold, the man knew who he was. He heard the sound of the stranger removing his hood. The man stepped from behind into view, being careful to keep his wand pressed into the Professor's neck. He could see the man now, he was a tall fellow with round features and messy black hair. The Professor thought for a moment, thinking he recognized the man. Yes, he did, it had been a few years but he certainly did recognize him. With a smile he shouted,

"Seamus! Old friend! What brings you here?"

Seamus pressed the wand into his neck harder, "Don't be coy with me Professor. It was foolish of you to go out in such a public place."

The Professor narrowed his eyes, "I see. You know the job of auror really does suit you. So what are you going to do, arrest me?"

"I should. The Ministry is still looking for you, you know."

The Professor leaned his head back and groaned, "Oh still? Are they really that mad about some old door?"

"It wasn't just the door Professor, you know that. You stole a lot of things, things the Ministry wants back."

"Oh come on, what does the Ministry care? It's not like they were using any of it anyway. What good are magical artifacts if all they do is sit and collect dust while people study them? That's just like the Ministry, never doing anything. They have the power to change the world and all they do is keep it locked up. Even now they send you to do their dirty work for them, I bet they told you to kill me didn't they?"

"They did."

The Professor pleaded with his eyes, "Seamus, if you could see all the good I've done with the things they had, you'd be on my side too!"

Seamus lowered his wand, "I know, Professor. Which is why I'm warning you to keep a low profile. I know you mean well, but you always leave a trail of ruckus in your wake. If you don't want to go to Azkaban I implore you to _stay out of trouble._ "

The Professor rolled his eyes, "Why do I feel like everyone keeps telling me that."

Seamus tucked his wand away, "Next time I see you, I'm going to have to follow my orders whether I like it or not. Don't come around here again, stay out of London."

The Professor nodded with a sly smile, "I'll do my best, but no promises."

* * *

Julia only had half an hour left before she was supposed to meet with the Professor back at the Room. She'd already spent most of her money, and visited all the shops around that interested her. She was merely killing time wandering about when she saw an interesting store she hadn't noticed before. A dusty old shop with a sign on the front that read "Ollivander's." Curious, she opened the rickety door and stepped inside. A bell sounded her entry, but the store seemed empty. She took a look around, all the furniture inside was old and dusty, and the place seemed ancient. On the back wall were rows upon rows of shelves, stacked with dusty rectangular boxes.

She walked up and took one off, and blew the dust off of it. Carefully she opened it, inside was a long pointed stick, no, a wand. She realized it was foolish to assume all wands looked like the Professor's. Unlike his slim black wand, this one was brown and had an ornate handle. She took it out and held it in her hands. It felt lighter than she'd expected, and airy. And there was something strange about it too, like the feeling she got when she held his wand, she could almost feel the magic coursing through it like a heartbeat. When she held it she could feel something, an instinct, just like last time as if a voice in her head was commanding her to wave it. Without thinking she stretched out her arm and held the wand out. Something exploded, a vase in the corner of the room suddenly shattered sending shards of porcelain and dirt flying everywhere. Startled, she quickly put the wand back into the box and put it back on the shelf.

"Having fun are we?"

She turned to see an old man with poofy gray hair standing behind the desk.

"I-I was just curious."

The man smiled at her, "Now now it's alright."

She shuffled nervously as the man watched her, "My name is Ollivander, this is my shop you know. In here, we sell wands. I'm guessing that's why you came here today young lady?"

"I already have a wand, thank you." She said nervously.

"Yes, yes. All young witches and wizards get a wand. Tell me dear, how old are you?"

"Fifteen." She answered quietly.

"Ah, I remember when I was your age. I got my first wand when I was ten. However, by the way you were waving that thing around it seems to me that you've never had a wand before. Why is it that a fifteen year old girl hasn't ever had a wand?"

"Well, I..."

He put his hand up. "No need dear."

She sat quietly as he turned around and pulled a box from the shelf.

"It is not my job to question my clients. It is, as it always has been, to provide quality wands to those who find themselves without one." He placed the box on the counter, and took the wand from it. It was a reddish brown wand, long, and with a bumpy handle.

"Try this one dear."

Julia took the wand in her hand, again feeling the electric sensation of magic within it. She gave it a wave, there was a thundering roar as a dozen boxes flew off the shelves sending plumes of dust into the air. Mr Ollivander's eyes grew wide,

"No! Definitely not that one!" He smiled and carefully took the wand from her and placed it back where it belonged. For the next twenty minutes they tried wand after wand after wand but to no avail, Julia could tell Mr Ollivander was getting frustrated. She felt guilty, it wasn't his fault, she was a muggle after all. She wanted to get out of the store and stop wasting his time. He put his head in his hands,

"You know, my family has been making wands for over 2,000 years, can you believe that?"

"That certainly is quite a long time." She said sheepishly.

"And in all my time of selling wands, I have not met a single witch or wizard that I could not pair a wand with!"

She started to back towards the door, "Perhaps I should come back another time, I'm sure you're quite busy."

"No, don't fret child." He stopped her. "We will get to the bottom of this! Tell me, what's your name? I can remember every wand I've ever sold, and I'm certain I can remember your parents wands. These sorts of things run in the family sometimes, you know."

She looked down at her feet, afraid to say her actual name. "Er, Planter. My mother's maiden name was Planter."

Mr Ollivander stared off for a moment, thinking back.

"Planter... Abigail Planter?"

Julia's pulse quickened.

"Yes, actually."

Mr Ollivander smiled, "Ah yes, I remember your mother. She looked just like you when she was your age."

"B-but my parents were muggles!"

He gave her a quizzical look, "Oh no dear, your mother was a witch. I can remember it as clear as day when I gave her her first wand. Let me think... it was a vinewood wand, 12 inches, and the core was the spine of a White River Monster. Mind you, I've only ever made a handful of wands with those cores, I had to import them from America! Ha! So I'm certain I can remember if I sold one of those to someone. Yes that's quite right, an elegant wand your mother had. Tell me, how is she?"

Julia stared at the floor. "She's dead."

Mr Ollivander was silent, "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I should go." Julia hurried out of the store and ran down the alley. She didn't know where she was going, she just knew she had to be alone. She ran through the crowds of people as tears welled in her eyes. Finally she found an empty side street she ran inside and hid herself far away from anyone who could see, and began to cry. For ten minutes she sat crying over the flood of emotion that had overtaken her. She heard a sound, a soft sound from nearby. She looked up to see what it was, her vision blurry from the tears.

"Meow"

A cat. A shaggy black cat was rummaging around some boxes. She picked up a rock sitting by her feet and tossed it at the cat, "Go away!" The rock landed with a thunk next to the cat and it peered at her with its shining yellow eyes.

"Meow"

Julia sighed and put her head back in her hands. She felt a tug on her sleeve, the cat was next to her now and was rubbing its face against her. She gently reached down to pet it, it started to purr.

"Thank you." She whispered to it. For another twenty minutes she sat there holding the cat and crying, but thankful she was no longer alone.

* * *

The Professor stood anxiously by the door to the Room, waiting on Julia.

"Great, now where did she run off to?"

They were supposed to meet there almost half an hour ago, and she was late. He was almost ready to go off looking for her, when he finally saw her skipping down the street towards him.

"Finally! I was wondering where you were! Did you have a good time?"

She skipped to meet him, and stopped right by his side, "I did Professor! I even made a new friend!"

"Oh?"

Out from behind her came a chubby black cat.

"Oh no. I am not having a cat in my house!"

"But Professor! Look at it!"

The cat looked up at the Professor, eyeing him.

"Meow"

"It's name is Whiskers."

"Whiskers? Who names a cat Whiskers?"

She stomped, "I do! Look how cute it is!"

He sighed, "You're going to have to feed it."

"Alright!"

"And clean up after it!"

"And I don't want any cat dander on my things!"

"Done and done!" Julia tilted her head and smiled at him. She happily strode over and opened the door to the Room, Whiskers waltzed between her legs and went inside. She beckoned for the Professor to follow her,

"Are you coming?"

He groaned,

"Yes yes! I'm coming." He sighed again and put his face in the palm of his hand, "What have I gotten myself into?"

He walked inside the Room after them and shut the door behind him. After a moment, the brick entryway sitting in Diagon Alley carefully shifted itself back into the form of a simple wooden door. Nobody passing by even paid any notice as it gently faded away, leaving only the brick exterior of the wall behind.


	5. Author Update

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated the story in a while, life kinda got in the way. I've been busy with college, and also I've been trying to do more original work instead of fanfiction. Don't worry, I still have every intention of finishing the story, I've just taken a break.

In the meantime, if you'd like to take a look at some of my original work, you can find it on Wattpad, it won't let me post the URL for some reason, but my username on there is WesRWilson, and the story is titled "The Peacekeepers."

I hope you enjoy it!

I promise I'll return to the adventures of Julia and the Professor as soon as I can ^_^


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